New Zealand

Monday, 7 October 2013

Elizabeth of YorkBy Alison Weir

Summery courtesy of goodreads.comMany
are familiar with the story of the much-married King Henry VIII of
England and the celebrated reign of his daughter, Elizabeth I. But it is
often forgotten that the life of the first Tudor queen, Elizabeth of
York, Henry’s mother and Elizabeth’s grandmother, spanned one of
England’s most dramatic and perilous periods. Now New York Times
bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir presents the
first modern biography of this extraordinary woman, whose very existence
united the realm and ensured the survival of the Plantagenet bloodline.

Her
birth was greeted with as much pomp and ceremony as that of a male
heir. The first child of King Edward IV, Elizabeth enjoyed all the
glittering trappings of royalty. But after the death of her father; the
disappearance and probable murder of her brothers—the Princes in the
Tower; and the usurpation of the throne by her calculating uncle Richard
III, Elizabeth found her world turned upside-down: She and her siblings
were declared bastards.

As Richard’s wife, Anne Neville, was
dying, there were murmurs that the king sought to marry his niece
Elizabeth, knowing that most people believed her to be England’s
rightful queen. Weir addresses Elizabeth’s possible role in this and her
covert support for Henry Tudor, the exiled pretender who defeated
Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and was crowned Henry VII, first
sovereign of the House of Tudor. Elizabeth’s subsequent marriage to
Henry united the houses of York and Lancaster and signaled the end of
the Wars of the Roses. For centuries historians have asserted that, as
queen, she was kept under Henry’s firm grasp, but Weir shows that
Elizabeth proved to be a model consort—pious and generous—who enjoyed
the confidence of her husband, exerted a tangible and beneficial
influence, and was revered by her son, the future King Henry VIII.

Review

Alison
Weir knows how to research, she retells historical events in such a
vivid and vibrant way. Fact becomes just as exciting as fiction when it
comes to England's Medieval England. Elizabeth of York lived a life that
seems unimaginable... I really enjoyed the first half of this but
started skimming the second half due to all the meticulous details!!! I
did like how Weir would raise questions many people still have today
about events surrounding the Plantagenets downfall and the Tudors
rise!!!Fans of historical fiction will love Weirs latest novel, definitely a must read,3 Stars